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Boiling water

EGGARY
EGGARY Posts: 1,222
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I thought I would calibrate the BGE Thermometer. So I am waiting for the water to boil.

Does boiling water go higher than 212 degrees ?

I am not into science.

Thanks.

Gary

Comments

  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    Nope, not unless you add something to it.
  • RU Eggsperienced
    RU Eggsperienced Posts: 1,527
    If H20 is below 212F it is a liquid - generally referred to/by me as water.

    If H20 is above 212F is a gas - generally referred to/by me as steam.

    Boiling water is roughly at 212F slightly different depending on altitude (due to atmospheric pressure). Boiling water stays boiling (at 212F) until it has converted completely to steam at which point your pot of is empty and quite likely very very hot..

    If H20 is below 32F it turns to a solid generally referred by/to me as ice.

    This is my view and I am sticking with it...
  • Mudhole
    Mudhole Posts: 26
    I believe it does get a little hotter in a pressure cooker....
  • RU Eggsperienced
    RU Eggsperienced Posts: 1,527
    Actually the water converts to steam and can continue to get hotter... So in a pressure cooker you are likely cooking with alot of steam as well as some boiling water which remains at 212!!

    The point of steam is that you can continue to heat it but as the temp rises so does the "pressure" thus you are not only steaming the food, but steaming it under pressure. There are some more physics to pressure cooking to I believe.

    Thats my opinion (and science lesson for the day) and I am sticking with it!!
  • Mudhole
    Mudhole Posts: 26
    yea I guess thats right, but it boils at 214F, 1000 feet below sea level.....
  • RNLV
    RNLV Posts: 42
    top of page, click on the cookbook, drop down, boiling point calculator for the amost accurate setting.
    But what is a couple of degrees among friends?
  • Morro Bay Rich
    Morro Bay Rich Posts: 2,227
    Are you trying to boil the water in the Egg? :S
  • BBQMaven
    BBQMaven Posts: 1,041
    Actually the pressure raises the boiling point. Think of the cooling system on an automobile - 14lb cap on radiator keeps the liquid from boiling under 260 degrees.
    Vacuum has the opposite affect - think of "evacuation" in a HVAC freon system. Apply a vacuum to the sealed system to boil the moisture (boil at 70 degrees) following a repair that allowed the freon to escape.
    Kent Madison MS
  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
    If it does it's called steam.
  • srq2625
    srq2625 Posts: 262
    Many of the answers here are close to being right, but all seem to miss one point or another.

    Water (pure water with nothing suspended or dissolved in it) will change physical state to a gas (that's commonly called boiling) at 100°C (212°F) under standard pressure (1 atmosphere, 1000 millibars Hg).

    As one raises the ambient pressure, the temperature at which water will change physical state to a gas (boil) will also rise - think Death Valley :). Conversely, as the ambient pressure drops (think higher altitudes), the temperature at which water changes state to a gas will drop. To the extent weather systems change the ambient pressure (think low/high pressure systems), the weather can also have an affect on the boiling point.

    The relationship between the ambient pressure and the boiling point is why boiling point calculators need to the ambient pressure as an input.
  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    Well, yes, I would say technically you are correct, but for the purposes of this question I think you've gone and added about 98% too much information.

    Let's all confuse the poor guy - he just wants to check the set point of an analog thermometer that isn't marked in single degree gradients to begin with. There is absolutely no point in deciding that "well, today the barometric pressure is 29.7413 and I am 172.61 feet above sea level, so my personal boiling point of the day is 212.3 degrees" - for multiple reasons. The biggest reason is that the water you are boiling isn't pure anyway. It has additives and minerals and other stuff in it that alters the boiling point and you have no idea what is in there or how it will change the boiling point. And secondly, you only need to get reasonably close when calibrating the thermometer.

    Boil water, stick the thermometer in, and if it appears to be close to 212 then you're good to go. If not, turn the nut on the back until it does appear to be close to 212. If it's off by a few degrees on either side it isn't going to affect the cooks any.
  • Boilermaker Ben
    Boilermaker Ben Posts: 1,956
    We will find ANYTHING to argue about, won't we? :laugh:

    Okay, so I've got two spheres of equal size, but unequal weight. If I drop them at the same time from the roof of my house, which one will hit the ground first?

    ...ready? Discuss.
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    Does the boiling point of water get above 212? Yes, if you are located below sea level and the weather is clear and the air pressure is high. Death Valley (282 feet below sea level) on a pleasant day would have a boiling point of about 213 degrees. The Red Sea is about 1200 feet below sea level. (Just thought I'd throw that in...)

    The boiling point of water varies depending on air pressure. Differences in air pressure due to the weather are fairly small, and you don't need to worry. Differences in air pressure due to your elevation are significant. If you live in Denver, the boiling point of water is around 202 degrees.

    So, if you live at a reasonably normal elevation, you don't need to worry about the boiling point of water being far off from 212. A few degrees isn't going to affect your cooking whatsoever. If you live at 7000 feet, you might want to take it into consideration since it could mean the difference between trying to keep your cooker at 225 degrees vs. 212 degrees.
    The Naked Whiz
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    [not enough information supplied to answer the question] :laugh:
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Boilermaker Ben
    Boilermaker Ben Posts: 1,956
    Since when has that ever stopped us?
  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    The red one. Red is always faster.
  • Boilermaker Ben
    Boilermaker Ben Posts: 1,956
    Ah yes, Newton's Thermapen Corollary.
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    Actually, the water in a pressure cooker is well above 212 degrees. That's the reason why you cook with the higher pressure. It raises the boiling point of the water and allows things to cook faster than if you had them in boiling water in an open pan.
    The Naked Whiz
  • RU Eggsperienced
    RU Eggsperienced Posts: 1,527
    I stand corrected. Under pressure the boiling point does go up.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    1000 feet below sea level? are you on your porch at your condo on the Dead Sea? :)

    even then your bbq thermometer would be off two degrees. a negligible amount with virtually no effect on your cook :ermm:
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • EGGARY
    EGGARY Posts: 1,222
    I calibrated the BGE Thermometer. I ordered a Thermometer from Tel Tru this morning.
    I hope that helps.

    Gary
  • Dreggs
    Dreggs Posts: 147
    i live at 7000 feet. i consider myself reasonably normally elevated.
  • NC-CDN
    NC-CDN Posts: 703
    We use eggs for BBQ. Typically a variation of 10F or so won't make a lick of difference. It's done when it's done. LOL. Some funny answers here though. I checked mine he other day and it was off by about 15. Heck I couldn't even figure out how to change it. Didn't look like it was possible. :)

    I just left it as is and continued cooking. Have done okay too. :whistle:
  • srq2625
    srq2625 Posts: 262
    Ooops - you're right and I should have simply answered, "Yes".